Recap: Owls waste chances in 2-1 loss to Sam Houston State

Second baseman Christian Stringer, the Owls’ leading hitter, will be unavailable for Thursday’s series opener at Tulane after being ejected to end a 2-1 loss to Sam Houston State on Tuesday.

Stringer did not agree with a called-third strike for the final out and exchanged words with home-plate umpire Ken Langford, who ejected him. That means he must sit out one game.

Second baseman Christian Stringer must sit out Thursday's series opener at Tulane after being ejected to end Tuesday's game against Sam Houston State. (Bob Levey/For the Chronicle)

Rice coach Wayne Graham was not happy with Stringer getting himself ejected, especially after a similar situation when third baseman Shane Hoelscher was ejected following a loss to Texas at the Houston College Classic.

“He started going after him and he should know better than that,” Graham said. “I let him have it in the locker room.”

Trying to get an explanation, Graham followed Langford to the top step of the visiting dugout.

“I went after him because I wanted to know what was going on, why he got kicked out?” Graham said. “He wouldn’t even talk to me.”

Stringer went 0-for-3 to snap his 17-game hitting streak.

Without Stringer, the Owls will use freshman Ford Stainback at second base against Tulane.

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Rice was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position against Sam Houston. They stranded the bases loaded twice.
Both times, Jeremy Rathjen, the team’s second-leading hitter, was unable to push across any runs with a strikeout in the third inning and a fly out to left field in the fifth.

For the season, the Owls have 13 games in which they have stranded 10 or more base runners in a game.

“That’s been the story of our offense this year,” Graham said. “If you don’t get the big hits when you need them, you’re going to be in trouble.”

Rathjen, it should be noted, produced the Owls’ only run of the game with his sixth homer of the season in the eighth inning.

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Stat watch: The Owls are 11 of 40 (.275) this season with the bases loaded.

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The Bearkats scored both runs off righthander Austin Kubitza in the second inning, including a RBI double by John Hale, a former Owl who transferred to Sam Houston State.

“I thought he threw well,” Graham said.

Kubitza, whose early-season struggles led to him being removed from the weekend rotation, will return and start Saturday’s series finale at Tulane. Matthew Reckling will start Thursday, followed by Andrew Benak on Friday.

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After the second inning, Kubitza and relief pitchers John Simms, Jordan Stephens and Tyler Duffey combined to allow only one hit over the final seven innings.